Now's the time to start pumpkin patch

June 03, 2006|CINDY McNATT The Orange County (Calif.) Register

If you are the type to think ahead -- let's say all the way to autumn -- you would plan on planting your small sugar pumpkins now for pies and other desserts in the fall. Not all pumpkins are created equal. Some are closer to squash in flavor; others don't have much in the way of edible meat (but look great in table arrangements); while others such as the 4-pound "Small Sugar" from the Cook's Garden catalog are perfect for the cooking pot. With a $3 packet of seed, a garden coming up in pumpkins is just a few weeks away. Pumpkins store easily in a cool, dark, dry area such as a closet, so if they mature a bit early, you will have them on hand when you're ready to prepare fall meals. Pumpkins are easy to grow. Poke a seed in well-prepared soil in full sun, keep it watered until it germinates, then grow as you would any other vegetable in the plot. When they begin to mature, place each on an overturned coffee can to keep it off the ground. Turn it every 30 days so the rind colors evenly. "Small Sugar" has been a kitchen essential since the 1860s. It is still considered the standard cooking pumpkin, with fine, stringless flesh that hasn't been improved upon in more than a hundred years. Order "Small Sugar" or the Cook's Garden catalog at The Cook's Garden, P.O. Box 5030, Warminster, PA 18974, or call (800) 457-9703.